Imagine a salesman brings you to the counter to pay, but then another salesman named Honey suddenly steps in. Mr. Honey promises to find you better discounts and coupons. Whether or not he actually finds one, he still tells the store, "I brought this shopper here!" and earns a small thank-you gift (money) from the store.
At first, it looks like Honey is the ultimate hero that helps everyone save money, but wait—there might be some sneaky stuff going on!
Quick Summary
Honey could be tricking both the cool creators who talk about it and the shoppers who believe it helps them save big!
How Honey (not the sweet kind) Works
When you shop online, lots of people say Honey is like a magic helper that finds the best deals.
Many YouTubers and bloggers have been cheering for it, thinking it's the best way to save money!
But here’s the twist: some of these awesome creators didn’t know that Honey might be quietly taking money that should go to them for telling you about those great deals. It’s like a hidden thief sneaking in!
In early December, a tech-savvy YouTuber named Megalag raised a big flag about Honey, saying it takes money away from the creators who helped you find your stuff!
This makes us think: Is it right for a company to grab money using sneaky tricks, even if they don’t really help you or the stores?
The Sneaky Moves!
Imagine a super fun race where the last person to help you buy something wins a prize! Honey is running in that race too! When you shop online and use Honey to find discounts, it secretly tracks your purchase using its special link. Aaand if you buy something, BOOM! Honey jumps in at the last second, claiming it helped, even if someone else sent you there first!
Sometimes, even if you didn’t click on Honey’s link, it uses a sneaky trick called cookie stuffing. These cookies aren't the tasty kind, though. It secretly puts little tracking cookies on your computer so it can claim the prize without you even knowing!
Pick Your Poison
While other coupon apps like Rakuten and Capital One Shopping do similar things, Honey takes it up a notch! Instead of just using its own link, it might switch links with the creators it sponsors!
This means Honey can grab the money that was supposed to go to the real heroes who helped you find great deals!
The funny part is that many creators believe they’re helping you save money by sharing Honey, but they’re actually missing out on the money they should earn! How unfair is that?
But Honey’s practices don’t just hurt creators—it may also impact you, the shopper.
Why This Matters to You:
Even though Honey says it looks at more than 30,000 websites to find the best deals, here’s the catch! It often shows its own coupons first, which means you might miss better deals that are hiding out there!
When stores join Honey's cashback program, they are in charge of which coupons get shown. This might send you looking down the wrong path and make you miss out on the best discounts! Instead of finding an awesome 25% off on cool shoes, you could get a “Honey10” coupon that’s not the best deal around! That would be a bummer!
So, while Honey isn’t the only app playing this game, it’s super important to choose which apps to use carefully!
At Monchi, we care a lot about our customers and believe in supporting creators and partners who play fair.
Thanks for hanging out with us! And here’s a fantastic deal you won’t find on Honey: use HEYMONCHI10 at checkout to get 10% off your first order (if you spend at least $50)!